Tuesday, June 5, 2012

We Made This Garden Grow!

Well I have been putting off this last blog for a very long time. This is because I felt like as soon as I wrote this last post it would mean that my entire experience was over. I felt like I would never see my new friends again, that I would never be able to have an experience as memorable as this one, and that I would never be able to survive living in my home country. Thankfully the anger of my parents dragging me back here have gone away and I have realized that I still can travel the world and I will get to see my friends in the process!

To all the wonderful people I met at Harlaxton. I have never met so many people that are so optimistic about life and so driven to go after whatever they want. It was these people that made my semester abroad much more than I could have ever imagined possible. And it all started before I even left the USA. So to all the wonderful people I met and now can call my friends...this one is for you.

Let's start off with who I miss the most! Melissa McCracken. I suppose you would be mad if I left it at that so I'll try to write a little more. I have never gotten along so well with someone I had absolutely nothing in common with. I was a bit hesitant on this friendship just by watching you try and manage all three of your suitcases through Heathrow but somehow you managed to get all your boots through the airport without taking out any small children so I was a little impressed. Things all fell into place though when we were able to coordinate our nap schedules for the first three weeks of school and shyly ask each other to every single meal. Somehow we became friends through: watching nudists shows in London, napping with the heat on at every hotel, complaining about everyone, being your wing woman, crying together in Paris, borrowing each others clothes, getting yelled at for borrowing each other clothes, watching CJ hula hoop in our room, waking up 10 minutes before British Studies and wandering down, listening to music in the dark, having you whip up every possible drink with the espresso machine, watching you play with every possible thing on the table at meals, watching the sunscreen song with the roomies, locking you in the window, and hearing you sing every possible song you could think of at any frickin' time of the day! I know I am forgetting plenty of things but I am sure we will reminisce about them all as we make plenty of new memories along the way! Make sure to wear your Best Friend Swatch from Paris everyday! Miss you and love you!

Gunnar. I knew you would be a valuable tool in my tool belt from the very first day. I don't think I would have made it back to the manor on mannyyy weekend get aways if it wasn't for you! My trusty navigator. I'm gonna save a lot of money now that I'm not buying you shots of tequila and sambuca! I bet you will miss those! Anywaysss the only reason I really liked you was because you liked Sugarland and made the most obnoxious sandwiches! I guess we have some other memories as well, like when you dragged me through a field telling me how Nick and Kristen could be hanging dead from all the trees around us, I believe this was after you tried to shove me in front of trucks and before the musically filled zig zag up the drive way. Other things I will miss about you: your amazing dancing abilities, watching you try and get around your entire room without touching the floor, looking into your beautiful blue eyes...in all the pictures Missy put of them on my camera, watching Oceans 13 together...oh wait!, seeing you get beat up by Lithuanian men; thank you for giving me the most entertaining volleyball practice of me career, and last but not least thank you for going to watch naked girls dance with me! That's what friends are for! I really can't think of a single normal thing we did together. I wish you all the best in your dreams of going to law school and maybe or maybe not having a wife and kids!

Sara, I finally spelled your name right! I'm gonna miss you roomie!!!! I'm so glad we got to be together this semester! Out of all the roommates I had you were definitely the best! Thank you for hula hooping with me, watching the sunscreen video, singing Call Me Maybe with me, waking me up from my naps for lunch, taking me horse back riding, finding Drury Lane with me, thank you for not dragging me on all the workouts I said I would do (our friendship would not have lasted), I wish we could have gotten farther in our bucket list but I guess that just means we have to go back someday! Thank you for tutoring me through British Studies and teaching me everything you know! You will be a marvelous teacher someday and I'm so jealous that you get to study abroad twice! I miss my sassy little roomie and cannot wait to see you soon!

Nicholas. Ever since I walked into Matt's room one day and was confused about who this guy was that was talking so much and acting like we were already friends...I...I don't know. After that day our friendship just blossomed! Especially during that 2 hour relationship we had! I am going to miss looking out my bedroom window and seeing you wandering around the manor with a trampoline. You are one of the most quirkiest people I have ever known and I wouldn't have you any other way! You are the world's top athlete (mostly because of your 4 pushups a day), I loved every minute of playing volleyball and basketball with you and will miss my big middle hitter and inspirational leader. You are also the second greatest dancer I have ever come in contact with, sorry you got beat out by Victory, not in speed though, you are the fastest dancer I know! I can't wait to attend yours and Kristin's wedding and to also see you on Broadway! Keep up the excellent job shaving, oh and also brushing your teeth (especially in the middle of the street at 3am in Paris)! Can't wait to see you again someday!

Rachel. Thank you for letting me play with your hair and helping me to become an expert braider! You make a beautiful flower! I hope you are enjoying all the pancakes in the world and still using your sexy voice all the time! Let me know if you want to Skype ;) Keep up the excellent job of working out and try to put in some extra time for me! I will dearly miss our Call Me Maybe bonding time and being homesick and watching the sunscreen video together! I feel so lost without you! Mostly because everyone around me always has clothes on! You're gonna be maddd at me for throwing that in! But anyways, keep up the wonderful writing and get some more of your work published! I need some new books to read so get on that. (I prefer trashy romance if you would be interested in exploring a new genre). Love you roomie and can't wait to see you again!

Benny! I have never met anyone that has as much swag as you do, Silky Smooth. Ever since I laid eyes on that shiny beautiful head of yours I just knew we were going to be best friends! You have excellent taste in music and thank you for giving up your headphones in order to keep Matt entertained! I will desperately miss waking up to your smiling face in soc and then following you around the manor until we ended up at lunch. I am also sad that I cannot open my bedroom window and see you walking around with the mac along with the trampoline. Your accents make every woman's heart within a 5 mile radius melt and you will always be Dr. Threesome in my book! Now, if I never teach you anything else just know that whenever you are in the middle of a room filled with people at least warn them when you are going to drop your towel. Can't wait to see you in EC even if me and Kristin actually do have to try 3 or 4 times before you finally agree. We are very dedicated people.

Victory. I believe you gave me a talk at basketball one of the first days on how Victory is the easiest name to remember. Because of this I didn't actually know your first name for at least a month or two. Oops. My happiest memory of you would be on Sunday nights when you would waltz into the refrectory and plop down at the table with your chin in your hands just waiting to hear everyone's stories. You always seemed so genuinely excited to learn about everyone and to get to know them. And that is why I am going to miss you! Thank you for making the basketball season bearable but also obnoxiously fun! You are the greatest story teller I have ever met even though I really know you shine most in the magical lyrics you can throw together into a song. Auburn Eyes was my favorite. If we could have only experienced one thing together I would have been completely satisfied with Poetry Jam 2010. Best of luck in everything you do especially in becoming an engineer? I believe. I hope to see you again some day! And if not, my last memory will be dancing on that last Monday night at Barcode and that's not too shabby of a memory to me.

Alex. I think my favorite time with you was during our walk in Paris when you told me all about the two children that you abandoned. I knew I had made a lifelong friend at that point. Oh and thank you from protecting me from the men on top of the hill in Paris. That was a scary time in my life and I'm glad you were there to protect me in your big strong arms. When you weren't being mean you were actually really nice so I'm kinda confused. I would just like to inform you though that my self confidence has gone way up since being away from your constant insults! I hope you have a lovely summer working on the farm and I can't wait to hear you on the radio someday!

Jake. I cannot wait to work with my future partner in Becki and Jake's Beef and Egg Production. I don't see how we won't be millionaires by age 25. Really I see no flaws. I am going to miss having someone to cheat off of in class and also having someone to insult just so I could watch them pout. This was really a great friendship I think! Anywaysss I will miss watching you trample poor helpless Lithuanian men just because you were running so fast you couldn't stop. You were really the most graceful basketball player I have ever seen. On that note, I do apologize for giving you false promises for your basketball achievements. You were truly a gentlemen, especially when I would throw my purse across the room just to see you run and get it. OK that only happened once. But I truly did love our friendship and bonding. Can't wait to visit the frat house! WOOO!

Cleve. Our basketball team would not have survived without you, well not that we really survived anyways. But you gave a valiant effort none the less! I am going to miss watching you father Jake like he was your own. Thank you for assisting him in getting the bees out of my window, I don't think he could have done it without you. Also, thank you for letting me stare at the back of your head when I couldn't think of anything to write on my British Studies tests. I hope you enjoyed our slumber party as much as I did and I hope you treasure the souvenir that you took from above my bed. Every other man in the world I'm sure is very envious! I'm impressed at how long this friendship lasted considering the first time we actually met you had to remind me that we were on the basketball team together. I thought I was doomed from there on. Good luck in the race this summer if you still do it and I will hopefully see you in the future! P.S. I'm still mad that you took my bdubs sauce!

Jordan. One of my favorite middle blockers! I have never had such an inappropriate teammate during a volleyball season! I always loved playing next to you even though I could hardly focus! Hopefully we will get to play together again someday so that we can run some more shoots. Just please don't leave me for Kristin. You are also the sexiest James Bond I have ever seen! You should wear that outfit more often. You are a truly great friend and wonderful person, especially when you wait up for me in Paris...and then give me awkward hugs! Anyways you should draw me a picture because you kicked me off that bench! Sound good? Can't wait to see you again some day ;)

Did you think I forgot about you Kristin? I had to save you for last because you are my most trusty follower! And I just needed to make sure that someone actually read the stuff that I put all this effort into! So that was your job! Ever since I was concussed and therefore missing volleyball for the weekend which meant I could attend the orientation, I KNEW we would be friends! I think are friendship (with Missy as well) was truly cemented that first weekend in London as we all napped fully clothed at 6 at night with the heat cranked and awkward shows playing on tv. I think I experienced pretty much everything with you whether it be staring at Doug, getting whip lash from my driving, getting violated during basketball games, letting me have your inhaler to make it up Arthur's Seat, spending many nights in the Bistro, pep talking you through ghill scrambling, watching you try and handle your horse in Lake District and sharing a wonderful nap afterwards, letting me steal your boyfriend for a few hours, fighting over Jordan, enjoying pinaS coladas in Spain, making many stops at Starbucks, taking romantic pictures on the beach, letting me take pictures of you in Paris, being my model in Spain as well. I love my favorite co-captain and cannot wait to play with you in EC. Whether it be in a gym or on a playground or in a bar.

To everyone that I played volleyball and basketball with, thank you for reminding me of why I started playing sports in the first place. These were two of my favorite teams that I have ever been a part of and I am going to miss everyone involved. Thank you for letting me be my obnoxious self at all times and thank you even more for joining me in the obnoxiousness. You all will never truly know how much I enjoyed the experience. I miss every minute of it.

To everyone and everyone else, that joined me along the way, thank you for the memories. I am thankful that I got to meet all the people that I did. I could not have asked for a better group of manor mates! Love you all and cannot wait to be reunited again someday.